Parking lot, Rose Bowl Parade--Pasadena, California 1956

Robert Frank captured this image, Parking lot, Rose Bowl Parade—Pasadena, California, with his camera. Look at the way the grass, littered with paper, contrasts with the pristine car. It feels like Frank is showing us the underbelly of the American dream, the mess left behind after the parade. The texture of the photograph is grainy, raw, like it's not trying to hide anything. The tones, shades of gray, emphasize the stark reality. Notice the figure lying face down on the grass. This detail, coupled with the discarded paper, is so loaded. Are they exhausted, sick, or just completely over it? Frank's work, in general, feels like a road trip, a search for the real America, a bit like Walker Evans but with more grit. It’s less about pretty pictures and more about showing life as it is, messy and ambiguous.